1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a drive system for a caterpillar or crawler track which includes rubber-coated chain link members with guide teeth, and wherein bars which drive the guide teeth are arranged on a drive wheel for driving of the caterpillar track.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A hinged chain comprising rubber-covered chain link members with guide teeth is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,696. To drive the hinged chain, guide teeth of the chain engage between bars of a drive wheel. The guide teeth approximate to about a triangular shape in longitudinal section and have flat tooth flanks or sides. The tooth engagement surfaces of the bars are also provided with a flat engagement surface. When the chain is driven, the bars come into initial engagement in the vicinity of the head region of the guide tooth and slide in a corresponding manner along the drive flank of the guide tooth, until the guide tooth is completely in engagement with the drive wheel. The entry shocks and jolts between the metal bars and the metal guide teeth, as the teeth come into engagement with the drive wheel, and the polygon effect, give rise to vibrations and oscillation phenomena which in the case of a caterpillar or track-laying vehicle adversely affect the function of sensitive electronic and optical devices and increase the level of vibration and the radiated air-carried sound in the interior of the vehicle.
The object of the invention is to propose a low-vibration drive for a caterpillar track, which permits a long operating life.